Turn signal



March 4, 1930. M B-EARLAND 1,749,690

TURN SIGNAL I Filed June 24, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 YT I g2' Il Ill/lmmJH/.c

'1114 Illlllllllllll A ATTO RN EY Patented Mar. 4, 1930 LAWRENCE IM.y BEARLAND, OF MISSOULA, MONTANA TURN SIGNAL Application led .Tune 24,

My present invention has reference to a direction signal for automobiles or similar vehicles and my object is the provision of a device for this purpose that can be either manually or electrically operated.

A further and important object of the invent-ion is to arrange along the side of a vehicle a housing in which there is pivoted a signal arm,and to provide either electrical or mechanical means operable one independent of the other for swinging the signal arm from the casing to positions to indicate to traffic in the rear of the vehicle the direction the vehicle is to take. c

The invention will be fully and comprehensively understood from a consideration of the following detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying 'drawings which form part of they application, with the understanding, however, that the improvement is capable of extended application and is not confined to the exact show'- ing of the drawings nor to the precise construction described 'and, therefore, such changesk and modifications may be made therefrom as do not aifect'the spirit of the invention nor exceed the scope thereof as ex' pressed in the appended claim.

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In the drawings: i Figure 1 is a sectional View through one side of a vehicle equipped with the improve- Y y ment, the casing for thesignal arm beingfalso vof Figure 1.

in section. Y

Y Figure 2 is a sectional View on the line 2 2 of Figurel.

F igureB is a sectional viewy on the line 3 3 Figure4 is a sectional view on the line 4 4 y of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a sectional view on the line 5 5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a sectional View on the line 6 6 of Figure l.

Figure 7 is a sectional view on the line 7 7 of Figure l.

The improvement primarily is devised for use in connection with the closed type of automobiles, but may, of course, be successfully employed upon other classes of like vehicles. In Figure 1 of the drawings, one side of a 1927. serial No. 201,242.

motor driven vehicle is indicated by the numeral 1. On theside 1 there is fixed a vertically arranged casing 2 that has its' outer face open. In this casing there is pivoted, as at 3, a signal arm 4. The arm has arranged therein a lamp bulb 5 that is visible'from both faces of the 'same arm,l the/said bulb being wired to the electric system of the automobile. The circuitis normally broken, but has contacts that close the circuit when the signal arm is swung to signaling position. 'As this construction is old and well'known in the art'I have not deemed it necessary to illustrate the same. *Y .Between the casing 2 and the signal arm 4y there' is a spring 6 which normally influences the signal arm into the casing. On the pivot 3 for'the signal arm there is iixedly secured atoothed segment 7.

O n the inner face'of the side 1 of the auto- Ymobilehbody there is a substantially rectangular housing '8.' In this housing there is fixedly secured a solenoid 9. The core of the solenoid isindicated by the numeral 10. To the core 10 there is flxedone end of a. plate 11. The plate is in the nature of a rack bar, and the same has both'of its edges, adjacent to its'ends, toothed,.as at 12, "and 13 respectively. The

l outer teeth 12 are in mesh with the toothed segment 7, and the inner. teeth 13V, which arel y*arranged in the housing 8, are in meshy with a ings arranged transversely in the housing 8c there isa shaft 15, and on this shaft thetoothed segment 14 is loosely `iournaled. On

"the shaft, at thek partthereof in the housing there are stop sleeves or'collars 16 and 17 that are arranged to the opposite sides of the hubA ofthe toothed segment 14 and both of these members 16 and 17 are Vfixed' to the shaft. The member 17 has an offset portion in the nature of a y'linger 18,*the`purpose of which will presently bedescribed. l

Fixed on'the outer end'of'the shaft v15,

V2, p A 1,749,690

that is the end that extends through the housing 8, there is a lever 19. On the lever there is pivotally secured, as at 20, a handle 21 that is iniuenced in one direction through the medium of a spring 22. On the second end of the handle 21 there is pivoted Aa dog 23 that passesthrongh @bearing Opening in the levefr 19, Aand is designed lto enter V.one fof three spaced openings in the outer face of the housing 8. i

The toothed segment .14 has on one `ofits faces anoifset portion or lug 24 and this lug is in the path of contact with the finger '18 on the sleeve or collar member 17 thatisfixed ontheshaftl.V l

. A s 'far as @the description l.has progressed, .it willbenoted reference to the drawings .that the dog 23,-normally-engages.the opening for aperture 2 5. :Phe lever 19 is sustained `vertically ,and is gin la neutral position. By

@moving :the ,handle2l toward .the lever 19 .toirelease the l dog/ and the lever is swung so 'thatthedog- 28 willenter the-notch or Yaperture .26, the finger 18 .on Ithe member 17 fixed to .the .shaft 1 5 will contact with the lug 24 ,on the toothedsegment14, influencing vthe .lat-

ter .to .eausegan outward longitudinal move* L.mentzto N.the rack .bar :totalise fthe :upper-teeth thereof toact on the toothedsegment 7 to .in Figure ffl 'of .the drawings.' This indicates .that thedrivenofthe vehicle `isto turnto the left. By again operating thehandle memlber 21;.andswinging the lever v19 .to bring .the dog 2S-into .the gopeningor aperture 27 in .the v4plate, therackbar wll-.havebeen Amoved and the lever :returned ,to-.its initial position, A5

the-spring 6 will swing the signal arm .into @thecasingicr'hoiisng2 l Off c ou;rse,'th e solenoid 9 .is wired to the electric circuitfor Ythe machine, .and .when

the 1.device isvsgto. b e electricallyfoperated a :handle member, in the ,nature of a switch `28 lisswung -againstfeither Qftwo contacts 29 or 80, the contacts, of course, being connected with thewiring-system. The ilever28 has on` itsshaft orftrunniom-,that finds abearing ,in

the outer face ofthe ,housing 8, anoffsetportionin ythe-nature ofastop element 31. yThe linner facegofgthe lever 28 is indented A oiapertured, .as 1at l32, which ,is designed Tfor .the re- -,c eption-'of spring influenced dogs33.- .Onthe I bar, provided .with theteeth 12fand 1 3, and

Swing thesignal 4 against the nuence 0f ....'Ghespringgdtothe upper dotted line position to contact with the lug or pin 24 on the rack bar so that when the circuit is energized yand the core 10 is drawn into'the solenoid 9, the longitudinal movement of the rack bar is limited and the signal arm 4 is swung through the casing 2 to its angular position, but when Vthewlever is swungto engage withthe contact BO, the stop 31 is moved away'from.-engagement with the pin or lug 24 so that the core 1() will fully enter the solenoid and the signal arm willfbe swungftoghorizontal position.

My improvement and the advantages theresof, will, it is thought, be understood and appreciatedby vthose skilled in the art to which the invention relates when the foregoing de* scription has been carefully read in connection with the accompanying drawings, it being apparentpthat the device is of a simple construction, may be installed in an easy and expeditious mannerupon varying types of automobiles and that the same maybe operated either by manual orelectricaly power.

Havingdescribed the invention, I claim i' A signal for the purpo'seset forth, includ- 'ing a lfixed casing having anouter open face, a signalfarmV in ythe casing, a pivot for the 'signal arm, aspring influencing the signal arm into the casing, a toothed segment on the pivot, a rack bar engaging the segment, a solenoidfhaving a core fixed to the rack bar, a

shaft, a segmental member freely mounted on the shaft lengaging with the rack bar, a lug on said ,segmental member, a lever. on the shaft, a pivotally supported spring iniiuenced handle carriedby the lever, a pivoted dog,

carried ,by the lever and slidableV there# throughfsaidcasing having three concentrically'arranged equidistantly spaced opengsto receive .thedog therethrough, a finger fixed on 'the shaft and inthe path of contact with'the lug,spaced contacts in `the circuit for the solenoid, a switch lever, a pivot to which the switch lever is connected and saidV switch lever'being also inthe ,solenoid circuit andswingable `to engage with the contacts,

spring influencedrdogs to engage inthe said indenture of the switch Alever-when the switch lever isswung to engage with the several contacts and a contact element on theY pivot for, the switch lever swingable in thekr path of said -lever having its inner face indented;

the lug on thesegment when'theswitch lever is-swung to engage with any of the several contacts. Y f

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature.

LAWRENCE 'BEARLAND which- 1 have A.termedthe rack bar, .there is @a @latera1lveXtending @11:24- Whell the le ..contact 29, thestcptelement 3,1 will be `fsvnmg 

